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An iconic 1986 ad from The Guardian.

In 1986, The Guardian, a mainstream left-wing newspaper in the UK, created a campaign to show the importance of having as many perspectives on world events as possible. The ad focuses on what appears to be a skinhead wrestling the briefcase out of an older man’s hands.

The ad was recently resurfaced on X by Massimo, a popular account that curates videos on science, art and technology. The video received over 150,000 views in a single day.

“An event, seen from one point of view, gives one impression,” the narrator says, as we see a skinhead running towards a man in what appears to be an attempt to steal his briefcase. “Seen from another point of view, it gives quite a different impression,” the narrator says as the angle shifts to show that the skinhead’s motivation is much different than most initially assumed.

When we see the incident from both angles, the skinhead saves the older gentleman from being hit by a load of bricks falling off a broken scaffolding above his head. “It’s only when you see the full picture that you can really understand what’s going on,” says the voiceover.

The ad is one of the most influential in UK history because it’s a dramatic reminder for people to reevaluate their prejudices, remain open-minded and see things from other people’s points of view.

Speaking of perception, it’s worth noting that there is a difference between UK and American skinhead cultures. In the UK, skinheads are a working-class subculture that is not traditionally racist. However, there are racist factions, as opposed to the US, where the subculture is synonymous with white racism.

No reward comes without risk - or in the case of Vilnius - risqué. The capitol city of Lithuania has a population of 570,000 and regularly makes lists as an underrated and inexpensive European destination. Lonely Planet called it a "hidden gem" of Europe. In 2016, it was rated the third cheapest destination for a bachelor party in Europe by FairFX. And you've probably never heard of it. In August of 2018, the city started running racy ads to increase tourism, calling it the "G-spot of Europe." The ad features a woman grabbing a map of Europe, clutching the spot where Vilnius is located. "Nobody knows where it is, but when you find it – it's amazing," reads the caption.

VILNIUS - THE G-SPOT OF EUROPEyoutu.be


The sexy ads were conceived by students. "As for the insight, we realized that it's true from our experiences abroad when we kept getting blank looks after telling people we're from Vilnius," Jurgis Ramanauskas, who worked on the idea, told The Drum. "Also, we've noticed that foreigners who came to our city or even decided to stay here were very satisfied with their experience. And of course, the seed for all of it was laid out in the brief."

VILNIUS - THE G-SPOT OF EUROPE (3)youtu.be

The ads were published on International Orgasm Day, coincidentally a month before the Pope was scheduled to visit the predominantly Catholic country. Lithuanian priests were offended over the ad, and the bishop of Vilnius said the ads present the city as a "sex tourism city." The Prime Minister of Lithuania had no problems with the racy ad itself, but wanted the city to wait until after the Pope's visit to launch their campaign. It did not.

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After the ads went up, the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority only received one complaint. It rejected the complaint, saying the ad was not "exploitative or degrading" and "unlikely to cause serious or widespread offense." John Oliver even praised the idea on "Last Week Tonight," saying, "If other destinations are smart they will follow Lithuania's lead, and come up with their own adults-only tourism slogans."

John Oliver talks About Vilnius G-Spot campaignyoutu.be

Despite the controversy, the image of a woman in ecstasy made people come – to Vilnius. The ad reached an audience of 600 million people, appearing in over 1,000 media publications. 100,000 people visited the campaign's equally cheeky website, vilniusgspot.com. Google searches for the city tripled as people attempted to find Europe's G-spot.

RELATED: Instagram cracks down on these adorable travel selfies

Tourism for Vilnius also increased. In the year since the ads have been out, tourism has been up by 12.5%. Visitors from Germany and the U.K., the primary markets for the campaign, saw a spike, with an increase of travelers up by 37.8% and 20.5% respectively.

The ads also won best destination campaign for a city at the International Travel and Tourism Awards, beating out Dallas/Ft. Worth. As they say, sex sells, and apparently it wins awards, too.

You gotta love a city (and an ad campaign) that doesn't take itself too seriously. Who's up for a trip to Vilnius?

Fashion brand Chromat is bringing all the best poolside looks with its latest swimwear campaign.

Chromat is known for its inclusivity, and these ads are no different. The "Pool Rules" campaign includes models with disabilities sporting the brand's bold bathing suits.

A post shared by CHROMAT (@chromat) on


Mama Cax, a disability and body positivity advocate, is one of the featured models in the campaign.

Cax, who has a prosthetic leg, told Chromat she modeled in the campaign because she's "looking out for the babes with scars, for the babes with disabilities who often feel uncomfortable in these spaces."

A post shared by CHROMAT (@chromat) on

Cancer survivor and sexuality educator Ericka Hart also modeled for the campaign.

A post shared by CHROMAT (@chromat) on

The campaign, called "Pool Rules," comes with a set of 10 rules, such as "scars and stretch marks are welcome" and "all abilities accepted."

A post shared by CHROMAT (@chromat) on

You can check out the rest of Chromat's "Pool Rules" campaign here.

This story originally appeared on The Mighty and is reprinted here with permission.

Remember this ad?

[rebelmouse-image 19346967 dam="1" original_size="640x480" caption="Image via Graham C99/Flickr." expand=1]Image via Graham C99/Flickr.

Unfortunately, lots of people do.


The ad for Protein World — featuring a slim, bikini-clad model in a heavily edited photo — was plastered across billboards and entire subway cars in New York City and London in 2015. Its message was embarrassingly clear: If you're body doesn't look like this one, you don't have a beach body — but buy our weight loss products and maybe you will! *rolls eyes forever*

The ad was blasted by commuters and advocacy groups alike.

It even ended up being banned in the U.K. for actual false advertising; as it turns out, Protein World's weight loss products didn't quite live up to the brand's claims.

Three years later, the infamous ad haunts many of us who had to see it every day on our morning commutes. But a different brand is now taking advantage of the marketing blunder to promote a dramatically different message.

A plus-size fashion brand in Europe has given the ad a 2018 makeover.

"Me and two of my colleagues were just sitting around one day and were like, 'Remember that ad?'" Bethany Rutter, who works in social media and marketing for the brand Navabi, told Today Style. "It's something that really stayed with people. It was a really troubling example of something that happens all the time, but it's the most explicit version of it that people had seen."

Rutter's team decided to flip the alarming example on its head.

The fashion line's new ad, which was carted around on wheels throughout London on May 3, mimics Protein World's bright yellow and black and white aesthetics. But it comes with a much more empowering message: "We're beach body ready."

The three women on Navabi's ad weren't professional models either. Rutter rocked the swimwear alongside Lauren Tallulah Smeets, a fashion brand manager, and blogger Stephanie Yeboah.

"Me, Lauren and [Rutter] did a thing recently," Yeboah tweeted excitedly. "LOOK AT OUR FAT BAADIES ALL UP ANS THROUGH [LONDON]."

Lookin' fab, ladies.

Unlike reactions to Protein World's 2015 campaign, people are loving Navabi's take on what constitutes a "beach body."

"I love this," one commenter wrote. "Makes me feel so much less anxious about my own 'flaws.'"

"You all look incredible!" another person said. "I absolutely love this shot. The exuberance, the joy, the beauty."

"I get so stressed about wearing a bikini but yes," someone chimed in, "we are all beach body ready!"

Damn straight. Have a body? Heading to the beach? Then congratulations: Your body is ready for the beach.